Exclusive Event Report: Delusion: Masque of Mortality

“We really trust our audience,” says Delusion: Masque of Morality writer/director Jon Braver, and he’s not fucking around. Now in its third year, this Los Angeles-based haunt came out of nowhere to deliver an original mix of interactive theater and live stunt work unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.

You won’t find any mazes or monsters in rubber masks here. No cheap “boo” gags. Instead, groups of eight are taken in every hour, where they become participants in a story that guides them through a creepy building full of mad plague doctors and twisted patients. There are no passive observers in Delusion. You become a player who must interact with the cast and surroundings, retrieve objects, perform tasks, and run for your life. It’s the closest thing to living a horror movie.

Previous years have been set in a dilapidated mansion in downtown Los Angeles, but this year shifts the action to an old Presbyterian Church. While this reportedly caused some issues with the production (the event was delayed because of permit issues), the change in venue makes for a larger and more unpredictable experience. And while “Masque of Mortality” features less stunt work than previous years, it more than compensates with a crazy amount of interactivity (and rest assured, the few stunts we get are incredibly impressive).

I won’t dare spoil all the surprises in store, but one example had this writer playing a dead body in order to get taken into the morgue so that our group could progress. In fact, it’s not uncommon for members of your party to be whisked away to perform various macabre tasks that run concurrently with your group’s actions. This means you can go to Delusion several times and not have the same experience twice.

The personal touch, combined with the creepy location, solid cast, and killer production design, makes for an experience above and beyond what you’ll get at any Halloween maze. Braver tells us that he plans to expand Delusion to other cities like New York and Chicago in future years – and our love for this event would have us on a plane to any one in a heartbeat. Simply put, it’s the best horror event in California…maybe the United States…maybe even the world.

Delusion: Masque of Mortality is currently running now through the end of November in Los Angeles – and if you do a single horror event all year, make it this one. Regular tickets are $60 (valet parking will be available). For more info visit the official Delusion website, “like” Delusion on Facebook, and follow Delusion on Twitter.